1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an apparatus which produces sets of control slips containing commercial transaction information.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Department stores undertake commercial transactions in which a customer requests that one or more gifts purchased by that customer be delivered to various recipients. The department store prepares, as a result of transaction information provided by that customer, a written order form bearing transaction control information such as the customer's name, the names and addresses of the recipients of the gifts and a description of the gifts. The department store then uses this transaction control information on the order form to prepare a set of transaction control slips also referred to as delivery slips. Each set of transaction control slips is used by the department store in order to locate the gift selected by the customer, wrap the gift, deliver the gift to a delivery station, deliver the gift from the delivery station to the ultimate destination, and receive a signed receipt from the ultimate recipient. The signed receipt is returned to the department store to complete billing and record keeping procedures.
Accordingly, a single set of transaction control slips is required for each gift. A set of such transaction control slips commonly includes the following individual slips:
(1) A work slip which is used in a delivery department of the store where items ordered for delivery are taken and wrapped for delivery. The work slip may also serve to clear accounts; PA1 (2) A tag slip which is used as a label attached to the ordered item to be delivered; PA1 (3) A takeout slip which is used at the delivery station of the department store for dispatch; and PA1 (4) A verification slip which is used as a receipt and upon which the signature of the recipient is written to certify the delivery of the ordered item to the intended destination.
Information from the original order form for the gifts, such as the name and address of the customer, the name and address of each person to receive an ordered item or gift, the type item or gift to be received, the number of ordered items or gifts, are entered as common transaction control information on each slip of a set of transaction control slips for each gift. However, each slip of a set of transaction control slips may be different in form and may require different portions of the transaction control information. Moreover, the various slips making up each set of transaction control slips for each gift are forwarded, as one set of slips, to the gift storage, gift wrapping or similar department responsible for filing the customer's request and to all subsequent locations within the department store organization which are necessary to complete delivery of the gift. Accordingly, it is essential that the individual slips of each set of transaction control slips be arranged in the proper order so that each slip can be removed as various steps in the delivery process are completed.
In the case of a small order, usually the customer enters transaction control information directly on the individual slips of a set of transaction control slips. Each department of a department store may have a booklet which has blanks of each of the various slips which make up a set of transaction control slips, so that one such set may be prepared by entering predetermined data on the top slip with carbon sheets inserted therebetween. Of course, when the transaction control slips are made up of pressure sensitive paper, the insertion of carbon sheets is unnecessary.
On the other hand, in the case of a large order, for example in the case where commodities are delivered to more than ten destinations, usually the department store prepares the required sets of transaction control slips according to transaction control information submitted by the customer on a prepared order form.
During a rush period, such as a holiday season in which a department store is required to deliver a large number of gifts, the department store may issue sets of transaction control slips according to: (1) a spirit system, (2) a copy system (or an overlay system), and (3) a handwritten system. According to these systems, a set of delivery slips is prepared by transferring or copying necessary data onto preprinted sets of transaction control slips from the completed order form.
For example, using the spirit system, an order form prepared by the customer is chemically treated and the slips of a set of transaction control slips are printed by a chemical based printer. However, each of the slips of a set of transaction control slips must be independently printed and it is, accordingly, impossible with such a system to print a set of transaction control slips in one action. In addition, it is necessary that blank sets of transaction control slips be preprinted.
In the copy system, an overlay is prepared for each customer bearing certain transaction control information. This overlay is used to prepare the various slips of a set of transaction control slips. However, it is necessary to have the same number of overlays as the number of different forms of slips making up a set of transaction control slips. The formation and maintenance of these overlays and the copying operation have proved troublesome.
In the handwritten system, necessary transaction control data is entered into a preprinted set of transaction control slips using pressure sensitive paper by referring to the written order originally prepared by the customer. In this case, it is difficult to enter the necessary data correctly at all times, and the work efficiency is extremely low.
Since a busy department store prepares a large number of different sets of transaction control slips to fulfill many gift orders, the slips of each set often become mixed up and out of order or incorrectly issued in duplicate. Accordingly, much time and labor must be devoted to checking the transaction control slips of each set, causing the conventional procedures to be uneconomical and inefficient.
Moreover in any of the above described systems, it is necessary to sort out the prepared sets of transaction control slips according to the kinds of commodities to be delivered, or according to the locations to which these commodities are to be delivered. This sorting operation is uneconomical and low in efficiency, requiring a lot of time and labor.